This special edition of the Seeking Delphi™ podcast provides a preview of the 2018 IEEE Technology Time Machine, to be held October 31-November 1, at the Hilton Resort and Spa, San Diego, CA. Joining host Mark Sackler to discuss the upcoming program is Roberto Saracco, who heads the IEEE initiative on Symbiotic Autonomous Systems and is one of the conference organizers. He was previously interviewed on Seeking Delphi Podcast #22. See links below the embedded podcast audio and YouTube slide show to access event information and registration.

“A.I. doesn’t trust us, either.”–Rana el Kaliouby, CEO, Affectiva

Get ready for all A.I., all the time. It’s the lion’s share of the news this week. After all, Rana el Kaliouby says, among other things, that it should ultimately be pervasive. In this week’s tech press, it pretty much is. I did throw in a space story, if only for accent–and maybe to appease those who’ve had enough of machine intelligence.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

She made this astounding statement in her keynote address at the second Emotion AI Summit, held in Boston, Massachusetts on September 6. Trust in A.I., was the theme of this year’s meeting, and with good reason. The meeting covered the ethical and trust issues in A.I., in areas as diverse as autonomous vehicles, product marketing and education.

Since last year’s inaugural summit, which was held by Affectiva at the iconic MIT Media Lab, the news has been full of not-so-encouraging stories about a possible dark future of A.I. More than one economic pundit has predicted a massive kill-off of jobs by smart automated systems. Elon Musk, and until his recent demise, Stephen Hawking, have been all over the media with warnings of an A.I. doomsday.

So, what’s with Kaliouby’s position? As the CEO of perhaps the foremost producer of emotion-savvy A.I. software, she obviously has motive to persuade us to trust AI. But why wouldn’t it trust us?

Perhaps the statement was hyperbole. She explained it as the need for A.I. to trust that it is getting good input from us, so it can make the right decisions. But until we have sentient, general A.I., it might better be interpreted another way. To trust A.I., we first must trust ourselves to provide the right programming and input for A.I. As one presenter put it, the goal should not be to create good A.I., but A.I that does good.

In her closing address, el Kaliouby put forth what she called a three-part contract with A.I. Trust—mutually—is the first part. We trust it and it trusts us. The second part is pervasiveness. She feels it needs to ultimately encompass virtually all our experience. And third, it needs to be ethical; this assumes we can define what that is.

But perhaps the most telling comment came from one member who appeared on a panel of venture capitalists who discussed investing in A.I.

When asked what is it that excites you the most and that scares you the most about A.I., Habib Haddad, of E14 Fund, said his greatest worry is, “what will kill us first, artificial intelligence or natural stupidity?

“Those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” – John F Kennedy

What is a futurist? I get asked that all the time. No, we don’t have crystal balls. It’s not so much about predicting the future as it is about helping steer humanity to a better future. This week’s news of the future kicks off with a new video by British futurist Ray Hammond that provides a succinct historical perspective on the study of the future.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

FutureThinking–From Roger Bacon to Alvin Toffler and Ray Kurzweill, Ray Hammond’s new video on The History of Futurists and Futurology provides a thoughtful perspective on thinking about things to come.

–And from last year’s annual meeting of The Association of Professional Futurists, my Seeking Delphi podcast, redux, asking the practitioners themselves, What is a Futurist?

The Human Condition–Millennium Project CEO and State of The Future lead author, Jerome Glenn, says that we have done better than most people expected. He goes so far as to say, in the latest Seeking Delphi™ interview linked below, that “we are winning as a species.” He does acknowledge critical issues that could derail the trajectory of progress, however.

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”–Yogi Berra

“We’re doing a lot better than people think.”–Jerome Glenn, on The State of The Future.

Ah, you have to love Yogi. He had no idea what he was talking about. But–surprise, surprise–the blind squirrel does occasionally find a nut. Because the future and all of its possibilities–its challenges and opportunities–is constantly changing. Just ask Jerome Glenn and his colleagues in Millennium Project, who have issued 19 editions of The State of The Future over the past 20-plus years. I did; that is the basis for Seeking Delphi™ podcast #24: The State of The Future with Jerome Glenn.

“I could have gone on flying in space forever”–Yuri Gagarin

Move over, Buck Rogers. The U.S. administration wants to build a space force. With budget deficits approaching 10 figures, it could just be posturing–or wishful thinking. Elon Musk inisists he isn’t posturing on getting to Mars, though. He’s all over the space news this week–for a change.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

The Human Condition–Millennium Project CEO and State of The Future lead author, Jerome Glenn, says that we have done better than most people expected. He goes so far as to say, in this Seeking Delphi™ interview linked below, that “we are winning as a species.” He does acknowledge critical issues that could derail the trajectory of progress, however.

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”–Edgar Bergen

The future of work is a very “now” debate. While many see an A.I. job-killing armageddon over the next 10-20 years, others are more sanguine. This week’s stories include some new published points of view that lean to the more optimistic side.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Automation/Future of Work–Worried about losing your job to A.I, robotics, or some such form of automation? According to this report in Next Big Future,the 2020’s AND 2030’S could see a tech-driven economic boom. Maybe it won’t be so bad.

Coming Soon–The next Seeking Delphi™ podcast will feature and interview with Jerome Glenn, co-founder and executive director of The Millennium Project, on their most recent edition of The State of The Future.